The 10 Best Japanese Comics I Read This Year (Which Are Mostly Unknown).

Given the ever-expanding scope of the manga market, it's increasingly difficult to keep up with every worthwhile release. As always, the most popular series dominate conversations, however, countless gems of undiscovered treasures just out of sight.

A key pleasure for a dedicated reader is stumbling upon a largely unknown series in the sea of new chapters and spreading the word to friends. This list highlights of the best lesser-known manga I've read in 2025, along with reasons why they're worth checking out prior to a potential boom.

Several entries here lack a mainstream following, partly due to they are without anime adaptations. A few are trickier to read due to digital exclusivity. However, suggesting any of these will earn you some notable geek cred.

10. The Plain Salary Man Turned Out to Be a Hero

• Authors: Ghost Mikawa, Yuki Imano, Akira Yuki, Raika Mizuiro
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Admittedly, this is a weird pick, but hear me out. Manga can be silly, and that's perfectly fine. I confess that isekai is my guilty pleasure. While The Plain Salary Man diverges from the template, it uses similar story beats, including an unbeatable hero and a video-game-inspired fantasy framework. The appeal, however, is found in the protagonist. Keita Sato is a standard overburdened office worker who vents his stress by entering fantastical portals that materialized globally, armed only with a baseball bat, to smash monsters. He's indifferent to treasures, power, or ranking; he only wants to maintain his double life, protect his family, and finish work early for a change.

More polished fantasies are out there, but this is a rare example from a top company, and thus easily available to international audiences through a popular app. When it comes to digital availability, this publisher is still dominant, and if you're in need of a short, lighthearted escape, The Plain Salary Man is a great choice.

9. The Exorcists of Nito

• Artist: Iromi Ichikawa
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

Typically, the word "exorcist" in a manga title turns me away due to the saturated market, but my opinion was altered this year. This series reminds me of the finest elements of a popular supernatural battle manga, with its eerie vibe, unique visuals, and unexpected brutality. I started reading it by chance and was immediately captivated.

Gotsuji is a powerful exorcist who purges ghosts in the hope of finding the one that murdered his mentor. He's joined by his mentor's sister, Uruka, who is concerned with his well-being than supporting his vengeance. The plot may seem basic, but the character development is as delicate as the art, and the artistic dichotomy between the comedic design of foes and the gory combat is a compelling layer. This is a series with great promise to become a hit — if it's allowed to continue.

8. Gokurakugai

• Author: Yuto Sano
• Publisher: Shueisha
• Find it on: Manga Plus; Viz

For readers who value visual splendor, then look no further. Yuto Sano's work on Gokurakugai is breathtaking, intricate, and unique. The narrative hews close from classic shonen conventions, with individuals with abilities combating monsters (though they're not officially called "exorcists"), but the cast is wonderfully eccentric and the backdrop is compelling. The protagonists, Alma and Tao Saotome, run the Gokurakugai Troubleshooter agency, resolving disputes in a working-class district where humans and beast-men coexist.

The villains, called Maga, are formed from human or animal corpses. When human-based, the Maga possesses abilities connected to the manner of death: a hanging victim has the power to choke people, one who ended their own life can make people bleed out, and so on. It's a gruesome but interesting twist that provides substance to these antagonists. It might become a major title, but it's constrained by its slower publication rate. From the beginning, only a handful of volumes have been released, which can test a reader's patience.

7. Bugle Call: War's Melody

• Authors: Mozuku Sora, Higoro Toumori
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Viz

This grim fantasy manga examines the common conflict theme from a novel angle for shonen. Instead of centering on individual duels, it presents epic historical battles. The protagonist, Luca, is one of the Branched—those granted singular talents. Luca's ability lets him transform noise into illumination, which allows him to direct soldiers on the battlefield, employing his instrument and background in a ruthless soldier group to become a formidable commander, fighting to eventually earn his freedom.

The world feels a bit standard, and the insertion of sci-fi elements feels forced at times, but it still delivered grim twists and shocking story pivots. It's a sophisticated series with a group of eccentric individuals, an engaging magic framework, and an enjoyable mix of warfare and grim fantasy.

6. The Cat Parent Adventures of Taro Miyao

• Artist: Sho Yamazaki
• Released by: Shueisha
• Available on: Manga Plus

A emotionally distant main character who reveres Renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli and believes in using any means necessary adopts a cute cat named Nicolo—allegedly because a massage from its small claws is the only thing that relieves his stiff shoulders. {If that premise isn't enough|Should that not convince you|If the setup doesn't grab you